Dentistry

Dental School ApplicationsWritten by a DDS Candidate 2015 Thinking of applying to dental school? Well then this article is for you. I will try to outline the main steps and key points that you should strive to accomplish in your undergraduate career and in the application process.

Firstly, stop and think about why you want to become a dentist. It is very important that you understand your reasons because otherwise you may be headed in a direction which will not suit your personality or lifestyle. Dentistry is a profession which demands professionalism, quick decision making, a good work ethic, and an intrinsic want to help people. The road towards dentistry can be stressful both mentally and physically so you want to make sure you are directing your energy towards a profession you would actually enjoy.

Once you are sure that dentistry is for you (hopefully you have done this before starting your undergraduate career) you should start to focus on how you are going to achieve that goal. In your first year at university try to develop efficient habits such as: pre-reading materials before lectures, good note-taking form, reviewing your notes after lectures, healthy sleeping/ eating/ exercise patterns, maintaining a social life, good exam preparation, and confident exam taking form. Although it is easy to overlook any of these things and just drink your first year away, it is absolutely essential that you start off university on the right track towards your goal. Once you have developed a good routine to your university life, try to stick to it as much as possible.

I would recommend joining a pre-dental or pre-medical club in first year. In these clubs you will be exposed to other students with similar aspirations. It is good to surround yourself with people who are genuine and hard-working, and pre-dental clubs tend to be a good place to start. These clubs often offer practice tests for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) which you will most likely have to write before you apply to any dental school.

Don’t let school consume you. It is a common mistake for people to become so engulfed in their work that they lose sight of the bigger picture which is life. Go to a movie every-so-often. Visit a friend from high school. Go to a house party. These are all part of the university experience which you will never be able to get back once you are done your education. However, remember that at the same time you must stay on track towards your goal. A good way to check if you have a good balance in your undergraduate career is to picture yourself finished your education and looking back on the road you travelled. Will you have stories to tell? Will you feel that you lived it to its full potential? And, will you be in the place that you wanted to be? If you can answer all of these questions positively, you probably have the right balance and mentality to make it.

When you write your DAT, make sure you go into it relaxed, well-rested, and having eaten a substantial breakfast. I would recommend going for a long-run the night before as well to get rid of any anxieties. The test is mostly based on high school knowledge so don’t fret too much. The visual-spatial reasoning section in my opinion is a very important one. It will test your fluid intelligence the most. Practice this section as much as you can. And, of course, practice a few soap carvings before as well.

For your interview, just go in relaxed and be yourself. They will know if you have planned your answers and looked up all the questions that they are going to ask you. They are looking for someone who knows exactly why they want to be a dentist. Before you go into the interview, don’t go and Google “key points to say in a dental interview” and if you do, don’t say these points verbatim. Instead, spend some time and look inside yourself at some of the following areas: beliefs, values, past conflicts, life-changing events, family, friends, hobbies, early education, high school education (and any events that may have happened then), and any events that you truly feel are important to who you are right at this moment. When you go into the interview, the only thing you really need to be an expert on is yourself.

As a closing note I would like to say good luck to anyone who is thinking about applying to dentistry. It is a profession that requires hard-working, intelligent, but most of all caring people. Do not apply for the wrong reasons. Be yourself, strive to be happy.

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University of Western Ontario, UWO, uwo western, undergraduate, western undergrad